What Is Exercise Pitch Black 2022 (PBK22)?

India To Be Part Of 17-Nation Drill Exercise Pitch Black In Australia

Continuing the series of military exercises with countries in the Indo-Pacific, India will join 16 other nations, including Quad partner countries, later this month for Exercise Pitch Black held every two years by the Australian Air Force. India is set to witness the participation of around 100 aircraft and 2,500 military personnel from 17 countries including itself will arrive in the Northern Territory in two weeks to commence Exercise Pitch Black 2022 (PBK22). Due to the global pandemic, there has been a four-year gap since the last Pitch Black. This year's exercise will see the joint force return to Australian skies, improving interoperability & fortifying partnerships.

What Is Exercise Pitch Black 

Between August 19 and September 8, "Pitch Black 2022" will be practised. Combat training in offensive counter air (OCA) and defensive counter air (DCA) is the goal of this exercise. The drill is conducted in a war-like setting. Exercise Pitch Black is typically conducted by two teams, "red team" and "blue team," who are situated in different places and engage in combat with one another. The first Pitch Black exercise took place on June 15-16, 1981, between the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) units. It has been four years since the last time the event was held. The US, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, India, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, the Philippines, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom are among the participants. All Quadrilateral countries – India, Japan, Australia, & the US — are on the list. Key NATO countries like Germany, France & the UK will also be part of the event. In the meantime, last week in the North Atlantic Ocean, the French warships, and the Indian stealth frigate INS Tarkash participated in a maritime partnership exercise.

Declaration by IAF 

The IAF had declared at the time that the exercise in 2018 would "offer a unique opportunity for exchange of information and experience with these nations for the first time using fighter planes for the exercise, which was conducted "in a realistic warfare scenario." The contingent at the time, which included 145 people, four Su-30MKI fighters, one C-130, and one C-17 transport aircraft, travelled to Australia through Indonesia, and engaged in fruitful exchanges with the Indonesian and Malaysian Air Forces while in transit. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the exercise's 2020 version was abruptly terminated.

Main attraction Of Exercise Pitch Black

Exercise Pitch Black attracts participants from the Indo-Pacific and beyond, giving professionals from many countries experience using aircraft, systems, and working methods in the distinctive environment of northern Australia. To maintain Air Force readiness to respond whenever the government demands it, it is essential to practice with international allies in combined air combat operations.

India and Australia’s ties

Over the past few years, India and Australia's defence and security ties have improved. The two nations formalised their relationship into a comprehensive strategic partnership in June 2020 and inked a historic agreement for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics assistance. The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) facilitates the expansion of overall defence cooperation between the two militaries by allowing them to use each other's bases for supply replenishment and maintenance. In November 2020 as well as the previous year, the Australian Navy participated in the Malabar naval exercise that was hosted by India.